The present invention relates to electrical mounting devices and especially to wall mounted electrical boxes.
There exist several methods for installing an additional electrical outlet box in an existing wall. Most of these involve cutting a hole in the wall large enough to attach an electrical outlet box to a stud or other existing structural member and attaching a metallic or plastic box to the stud. Such installations pose the problem of having to cover the installation with an oversized cover. Additionally, the retrofitted outlet box may not be installed in exactly the position desired because of the need to attach it to an existing stud.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/178,402, filed Oct. 24, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,890, the grandparent of this application, describes a low voltage wall mounting device that comprises a frame, an integral reinforcing flange that fits into a rectangular hole in a wall and two flags which are rotated by front mount screws for grabbing the rear surface of the wall and securing the mounting device to the wall. This copending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Such an arrangement permits installation of additional low voltage mounting devices or boxes at any location on the surface of a wall. Additionally, the hole cut for installation is approximately of the same size as the inserted box, making the use of an oversized cover plate unnecessary. This copending application suggests, but does not describe, that, xe2x80x9cthe flange or device wall may extend deeper into the building wall and have the inside enclosed to provide a boxxe2x80x9d. The copending application, does not however address the issue as it relates to the more conventional electrical or xe2x80x9cworkingxe2x80x9d boxes that are used as outlets for electrical current that must include a closed rear portion that admits electrical wiring through appropriate apertures that incorporate wire or cable-retaining devices.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a working electrical outlet box that can be installed at virtually any location in a wall with a minimum of effort and a minimum of disruption of the existing wall.
The present invention uses a plastic mounting device having an open front surface extending around an opening in a building wall integral with a closed electrical box extending at right angles therefrom rearward of the front surface and extending into the building wall. The mounting device has two turning screws adapted to turn flags which are inserted into the opening in a xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d position and grab the far or inside surface of the building wall when the screws are rotated causing the flags to obtain their xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d position. The electrical box has a rectangular outside periphery that permits a simple rectangular cut to be made in the building wall for ready fitting of the device into the wall. The flags are located on opposite ends of the open front surface or electrical box near the center of the two opposite ends so that holding forces are applied in the most desired direction without having such forces applied at opposite corners.